A survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) has revealed that year-on-year sales of both food and non-food organic products defied the economic slowdown to increase by 17.1 per cent in 2008.
Organic food sales grew 15.8 per cent during the year to reach US$22.9bn, with organic food representing 3.5 per cent of all product sales in the US in 2008, while organic non-food sales jumped 39.4 per cent to hit US$1.6bn.
'Organic products represent value to consumers who have shown continued resilience in seeking out these products,' said Christine Bushway, executive director at the OTA. 'This marks another milestone for the organic food market.
In order to continue regular organic purchases in the face of the economic crisis, a number of different strategies such as increased use of coupons, more private label brands and value-positioned products have been implemented, the survey revealed.
